Interviews News - Page 22

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“I guess it’s safe to say I don’t mind being a gatekeeper. Eventually, you got something you want to get. A drive for something, you know what I’m saying? And I guess I’m still searching for that inner me, I’m still searching for something. Until I find it, and until my fire is done, I’m a fighter…. Eventually, you want that title around your waist, that’s eventually the goal. But it don’t happen, just line them up.”
Less than confident words from the preseason star of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10, Kimbo Slice. UFC President Dana White shocked the mixed martial arts community not too long ago, announcing that the former bareknuckle Miami street brawler had taken him up on his offer to compete on the tournament-style Spike TV-produced program. His timing may not be the best — TUF 10 features former IFL champion, Roy Nelson, UFC veteran Wes Sims and several former NFL players, among others. So will Slice prove White (who predicted he would never win a TUF show back in Oct. 2008 when he first made the bold offer) and all the other doubters wrong or can he hang with the big boys? Find out on Sept. 16, 2009, at 10 p.m. ET on Spike TV. For now, have at it in the comments section below.

Company president Dana White tells ESPN.com that he doesn’t think so whatsoever:
“Probably the most insane thing that I have ever heard about the UFC in my life is that it’s fake…. As far as whether or not one fight makes the UFC a joke — [because of what a guy had to say after his fight] — I don’t see how that makes an entire sport a joke. The reality is that everyone knows how good Frank Mir is — he’s a former world champion who just came back from a terrible motorcycle accident. What Brock Lesnar did in the Octagon [against him] and has accomplished in the Octagon is amazing. The guy is an incredible athlete, whether he came from the WWE or not. He’s an amazing athlete. I cannot explain why he said what he said or did what he did after the fight. But I don’t think it takes away from who he is as an athlete or takes anything away from the sport of mixed martial arts…. He got caught up in the moment … and went a little nutty…. It was a great night of fights. I don’t think anybody is going to be turned off by one guy’s fight and what he said after it. He had a great fight and an amazing performance. I don’t think anybody is going to be that turned off by what one guy says after his fight and never watch mixed martial arts again.”

He’s the majority owner of the most successful fight promotion in the world -- yet Lorenzo Fertitta rarely takes centerstage.
However, to commemorate UFC 100, fans were treated to a special one-hour question and answer session with the reserved billionaire casino owner last Saturday at the UFC Expo in Las Vegas. With the fans at the helm, here are some highlights:
We have “The Ultimate Fighter” for the 155ers on Spike TV, but what about something for the 135- and 145-pounders on Versus?
Fertitta: We talked a lot about developing some sort of reality show for Versus. Now, we certainly don’t want to copy “The Ultimate Fighter” and what we’ve done on Spike, but we have been working on concepts where we can try to find new talent, bring new talent back to the WEC. You will see something happen where we have some kind of a show that will be a breeding ground for new talent to get into the WEC.
There’s an online petition called FedorChant.com, where a thousand people are going to cheer “Fedor” (Emelianenko) during the main event (at UFC 100). Is that going to put more pressure on you, and just the fact that Fedor doesn’t want to sign because of sambo, was that something that you’d ever overlook?
...

PDG: What are your thoughts on your opponent; Stephan Bonnar? Mark
Coleman: I respect him quite a bit and he has never been stopped in the UFC. He has fought some wars in the cage and he has a huge heart. Stephan has good reach and a good standup game that you have to respect. I have been working a lot in training on my standup and I was hoping to use that in my next couple of fights but I'm going to have to be smart with him and probably take him to the ground. Where I do what I do best – Ground and Pound. I have nothing but respect for Stephan Bonnar and his fight with Forest Griffin was an amazing fight that put the UFC on the map.

“I haven’t personally made a decision one way or the other. Hopefully my brain can heal over time. The shot last fight is something that normally wouldn’t hurt me. I think I need at least some time off from getting hit. I’m going to take time off sparring then. I’ll train still. Still gonna roll. I’ll probably do a little more jiu-jitsu than normal because I like it. It’s fun.”
Former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell plans to take a year off to unscramble his brains before making a decision on retirement. “The Iceman” is coming off a technical knockout loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 97: “Redemption” from the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, back in April. It marked the fourth loss in his last five fights. Company president Dana White has pressed his good friend and big time money-making machine to hang up the gloves, saying he has made a ton of cash and has nothing left to prove. Liddell — who will be forty years old by the time April 2010 rolls around — clearly needs more time. Sit tight, Maniacs, this one is far from over.

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre recently took time to answer some questions for PDG regarding his upcoming bout against Thiago Alves, training and the importance of UFC 100.
PDG: How is your training going for UFC 100?
GSP: I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m training really hard before my fight. Three weeks I spent in New York doing Muay Thai at the Wat with Phil Nurse and all the guys over there, sparring with Shawn Imes, Brad Imes and all those great training partners that I have for Muay Thai training. I’m learning a lot from Kru Phil. I also train in New York at the Renzo Gracie Academy under supervision of John Danaher – he’s my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor. I have great training partners there as well. The level of jiu-jitsu in New York at Renzo Gracie is better than it is in Montreal, so that’s one of the main reasons why I have been going there and I spend so much time at that Academy.

Although nothing is confirmed, Donald Cerrone expects to take on Ben Henderson at some point in the near future. He also badmouths Jamie Varner with some language that is sure to incite controversy.
Check it out!

8. After watching all of the episodes was there anything of note that didn’t get shown on TV?
Richie Whitson – Yes, after me and Jason Pierce got into the argument that you saw on TV. Santino and I were roommates in the house and Pierce decided to put a sign on our door that said “Gingers Only, Queers Only, Please Knock”. So Santino, Frank, Cameron, Demarques, Mark and I sat around thinking of some way to get even with Pierce. We made stick figure drawings with each of the British team members and on each one of the pictures was a picture of Pierce on his knees &^%#$@ &**&. Then we made one more picture with Bisping and the rest of the British coaches doing all kinds of things to defile Pierce. The next morning we got up at like 5 a.m. and put all of the pictures up on the walls of the living room. I went back to sleep and was woke up by the loud laughing of the U.K. team.

After solidifying his place in the UFC with two knockout wins, over Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman, Mauricio Shogun is confirmed to face Lyoto Machida. The bout is worth the organization's light heavyweight belt, which could land Shogun back at the top of the world, a post he was used to occupying back in the days of Pride.
Portal das Lutas - How did you feel about getting a shot at the title so quickly?
Mauricio Shogun - I was really happy about the title challenge. When Dana White told me I was really happy. Lyoto's my friend, we train together. We've been in contact but there's no way to turn down the fight.
PDL - Is there anyone you would never face?
MS - The only guy I've said I would never face is Wanderlei (Silva). He is my true friend and I have a special affection for him.
PDL - After facing three tough guys (Forrest Griffin, Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell), now you have this shot at the title. Would you rather do a few more fights and better adapt to the event?
MS - The one who decides whether the fight is for the belt is Dana White. When I joined the UFC, there already was the perspective of a shot at the belt soon, for what I had shown in Pride. Against Coleman I didn't fight that great, but against Liddell I did well. That's what Dana White had to work with. I'm new in the house, but I have experience and I'm happy for the opportunity.
PDL - For the second time in the organization there's an all-Brazilian title challenge, the other being between Anderson Silva and Thales Leites. How important is that?
MS - It shows how strong Brazil is in MMA. I believe that, after soccer, MMA is the sport that best represents Brazil abroad. And we are very well represented, because we really sport the jersey. I'm certain the athletes fight for the country. Brazil is still needy of heroes in sport and it's great motivation. We're out there to represent Brazil.
PDL - What do you think of Lyoto?
MS - Lyoto is a well-rounded fighter, good standing,on the ground and has good wrestling. He's the man to beat, undefeated and has shown his worth. I repect him, but I'm going to train a lot to come home with the win.
PDL - Would you like to send a message out to your fans?
MS - I can't promise victory, but I guarantee I'll do my all to represent our country, my team and my state. I would like to thank all my fans and tell them they are my greatest motivation in training every day.

The show was incredible. It’s amazing, It’s unbelievable. It’s our first show here and sold out. A lot of people. It was incredible man. This crowd, I don’t know how many people standing … The ground started to shake. It’s unbelievable … Please, I want a rematch. I know it’s the judges opinion, but I’m thinking I won. It was fight of the night. I want a rematch.”
UFC 99 headliner Wanderlei Silva sounds off after his thrilling back-and-forth three round war with Rich Franklin at “The Comeback” from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany on June 13. “The Axe Murderer” came up on the losing end of a razor-thin unanimous decision to “Ace,” who was buckled in the second round by the former PRIDE smashing machine — who once again leaves it all in the cage. The fans were certainly grateful for another gritty performance, but was the losing effort enough to warrant a possible rematch? Opinions, please.

Cain Velasquez is an undefeated heavyweight who's preparing for the toughest test of his career when he faces Cheick Kongo on Saturday at UFC 99, and he says his goal is to win the UFC heavyweight title. But the 26-year-old Velasquez, who only got into MMA four years ago after his wrestling career at Arizona State ended, says he can be patient.
In an interview with FanHouse, Velasquez said that even if he beats Kongo on Saturday, he doesn't expect to get the next shot at the UFC title. He's just looking to add one more win to his fast growing resume. The full interview is below.

PDG: What advantages do you see for yourself going into the fight?
Kevin Randleman: I am faster, quicker and I believe that I am stronger than he is. I think I'm a better wrestler and I will be able to use my agility to my advantage. The bottom line is that I am not going into this fight taking him any lighter than any other opponent that I have ever faced. I thought I could beat Fedor Emelianenko, I thought I could beat Mirko Cro Cop, I think I am better than every fighter when I step in the cage and if I didn't think than way why the **** would I be fighting? I have watched a few of Whitehead’s fights and I know that he has been training with Wanderlei Silva but I don't think that his style is going to be that much different than in his previous fights. I think he is going to have a disadvantage though with his weight cut for the fight. He walks around at about 250 pounds and he is going to have to cut down to 205 pounds for this fight.

PDG: It is a pretty stacked card coming up on June 6th; are there any other fights on the card that you are looking forward to seeing?
Nick Diaz: I think that the fights are going to be very entertaining for the fans and I am sure that a lot of people are looking forward to seeing the Jake Shields and Robbie Lawler fight. But I don't really look forward to seeing any of my friends fighting whether it is my brother or Jake Shields. I am sure that they are going to have great fights but it is not something that I really look forward to watching. I don't look forward to it any more than if I was watching a death match.

“He offended me. I wanted to fight, he wanted to offend. He said that I hit my head on his and opened his face, but what opened his face was the first punch I gave. He has this habit, at the time of the interview he grows, but at the time of the fight he cried, apologized to his coach, then came toward my corner saying I was an idiot, and also apologized. He is proving that he isn’t a person of only one face, he is two-faced. Otherwise everything is alright, I’m not very worried about him. Dude, I already beat him once, was winning this one. For me, if I have to fight, I fight, if I don’t, whatever. The problem is his, he’s already lost once and at the second made this s**t. I don’t know what they’ll do. Honestly, I don’t know, they (FEG) didn’t say anything. I trained three months for this clown to come and do what he did, now I won’t fight in July, not for a while. I’ll take a rest and wait.”
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza provides an update following his middleweight title bout against bitter rival Jason “Mayhem” Miller at DREAM 9 last week. The second outing between the pair was halted early in the first round because of an errant blow from Miller to a downed Souza. The strike carved a deep laceration to Souza’s head, which forced ringside officials to call off the match prematurely because of its severity. The fight was ruled a no contest. Another rematch between the two to determine a more decisive ending seems to be the next logical step; however, it doesn’t appear the “Jacare” is thrilled with the idea at this moment after Mayhem’s latest in-ring shenanigans.

“I went back and watched the Rashad fight again, and I think it comes down to bad coaching. In the prefight press conference, I heard Rashad say that he didn’t bring anybody in who would resemble Machida’s style. When I heard that, I knew that there might be some problems. That is probably a big reason why Rashad didn’t do very well in the striking area. I also think Rashad should have been coached on using his wrestling talent. He didn’t shoot one takedown that I can remember and he just made it a sparring match. If I was to coach Rashad against Machida, I would have told him to make it a fight, use his wrestling and groundwork to really dictate the match. Not just go out and spar with him. I think Rashad could have done a lot better in that fight. I’m not saying he should have won, but he’s a lot better than he showed on Saturday.”
– Matt Hughes shares his thoughts via his personal blog about the main event fight between Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 on May 23. “The Dragon” looked phenomenal, taking out “Sugar” in the second round with a lethal explosion of strikes that separated the champion from consciousness for the first time ever in his previously unbeaten career. Hughes chalks the loss up to bad coaching and a poor strategy going into the fight. And he’s not the only one — Shawn Tompkins, the head trainer at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, told CageWriter.com that Machida is “far from unbeatable” and Rashad “gave Lyoto everything he needed to make himself look invincible” by failing to close the distance and use his strong wrestling skills. So is Machida really as good as he looked last weekend or does Evans’ head trainer, Greg Jackson, deserve some of the credit?

PDG: Are there any fights on the card that you are looking forward to seeing?
Brett Rogers: Definitely the Kevin Randleman fight and Scott Smith versus Nick Diaz fight. I like both Smith and Diaz but I am very interested to see how Smith is going to handle Diaz’s striking. Diaz always changes things up and both of them love to stand and bang but Scott usually is the counter-puncher so it is going to be interesting to see how both fighters approach the fight. Then you have Randleman who goes full bore all the time and doesn't care where the fight ends up; he may just end up pumping me up for my fight. I can't wait to see his fight.